Russian Missiles Strike Infrastructure of 1337x, Second Largest Torrent Tracker, Hitting Piracy

Russian missile attacks have damaged infrastructure belonging to popular torrent trackers like 1337x. Between September 23 and 27, 2026, Russia conducted strikes targeting data centers and communication facilities in Kyiv. These attacks temporarily disrupted internet access for approximately 100,000 households in Kyiv and its surrounding region on September 23, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation. Russia acknowledged targeting data centers, claiming they served the Ukrainian armed forces.

The situation escalated on September 27 when Kyivstar, Ukraine's largest mobile operator, confirmed its headquarters had been hit. Russia also claimed to have struck a Vodafone Ukraine data center, though the company did not confirm this. These missile strikes have now been confirmed to have affected servers used by torrent trackers, including 1337x. In 2026, 1337x was ranked as the world's second-largest torrent tracker by traffic, following YTS and preceding The Pirate Bay and Nyaa. With an estimated 40 to 50 million monthly visits, the Russian attack dealt a significant blow. The infrastructure was eventually restored, meaning the services experienced only temporary downtime. This event was humorously referred to by Tom's as 'Direct Destruction of the Server' (DDoS), reinterpreting the acronym for a physical attack rather than a cyber one.

Beyond 1337x, NordicQuality also confirmed rumors of its services being affected. Their team reported that the Kyiv data center hosting their server lost electricity and internet connectivity due to a Russian attack, causing a temporary outage for NordicQuality. In addition to torrent providers, facilities belonging to MiroHost, Cosmonova, Datagroup, and other providers were impacted. The data center housing some of MiroHost's infrastructure was destroyed. Cosmonova sustained severe damage, leading to the closure of its facility. Cosmonova had hosted infrastructure for media outlets, and following the attacks, channels such as Novyny Live, We-Ukraine, and Army TV went offline temporarily. Some video players for public broadcaster Suspilne also ceased functioning.